From loading screens to instant everything.

The promise of a game could begin with several minutes of strange electronic noise. A cassette turned, a loading screen appeared and you hoped the whole thing would make it to the end.

Home technology once came with quite a lot of waiting. Film had to be developed. A letter had to arrive. A telephone call depended on somebody being near the telephone. None of it felt slow until faster alternatives arrived.

Little by little, separate objects started disappearing into a single device. The camera, the map, the music player, the address book. Things that once filled drawers became icons on a screen.

The convenience is remarkable. So is the way our expectations have changed. A few seconds of buffering can now feel like an unreasonable delay. We gained speed, and then got used to it.

Older machines can still be rewarding because their limits are so clear. A few buttons, a particular job, a problem you might actually be able to understand. There is satisfaction in getting something working, even if the sensible modern alternative is much easier.

It is possible to love both. The instant answer and the slow loading screen. One makes life simpler; the other reminds us how exciting the future once sounded.